FACT-CHECK: Claim That Okonjo Iweala Is Set To Establish A Free Trade Zone In Aba, Abia State is False!

factcheckafrica3 weeks ago

251 1 minute read

image portraying a logo with false written on it

BY: Eniola Amadu

Claim:

A user on X, @tonyajah has claimed that the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is set to establish a WTO sub-office in Aba, Abia State.

Verdict:

The claim that the World Trade Organization under the leadership of its Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is set to establish a sub-office in Aba, Abia State is false!

Full Text:

@tonyajah on X, posted a claim that the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), is set to establish a WTO sub-office in Aba, Abia state.

The user also stated that the initiative would make Aba the first city in Africa to host a WTO presence of this kind.

He further claimed that the Director-General of the WTO said Aba provides greater security for foreign investors than many parts of Nigeria and Africa at large.

FALSE CLAIM ON X

Similarly, the same claim was found on facebook posted by the user Hon Japhet Bodonyefa and on LinkedIn, as posted by a user named Ohaeri Caleb eight (8) months ago.

FALSE CLAIM ON LINKEDIN

The contrasts in the claim timeline raises suspicion.

Verification:

FactCheckAfrica, thus subjected the claim to verification to confirm its authenticity.

First, FactCheckAfrica checked available and reputable international media outlets to find out if any of such news was published but found no related news report.

Additionally, we checked the official X page of Madam Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and found no record of related posts.

Further checks were conducted on the Abia government media pages and websites, WTO news and events page and discovered no relatable posts.

Also, it was discovered that the WTO does not have any existing sub-office in contrast to the claims.

Conclusion

The claim that the World Trade Organization under the leadership of its Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is set to establish a sub-office in Aba, Abia State is false. There is no verified news report as of the time of filing this report to confirm the claim. Further checks on the WTO website and the Director General of the WTO’s X handle revealed that there are no such reports and developments.